A recent study in PNAS linked social isolation to an increased mortality rate. They found the increased risk of death to be equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day! They postulate that social contact helps people deal with the negative effects of stress. The other postulate is that having social interactions helps curtain negative habits. I wonder if oxytocin may have something to do with it. Regardless of the cause, the effect is clear and for this classical Jungian introvert, making me rethink the amount of time forming social interactions.